Life — March 26, 1914 — page 21: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts a group of religious figures (monks or clergy, identifiable by their robes and the Gothic cathedral architecture behind them) encountering what appears to be a skeletal or death-like figure approaching from the right. The caption "The Cloister No Longer a Safe Refuge" suggests the satire concerns threats to religious institutions or sanctuary. The "hardly visitor" (likely "hardly" in the sense of "rough" or "unwelcome") represents some form of danger—possibly disease, war, or social upheaval—penetrating spaces traditionally considered protected or isolated from worldly threats. Without additional context about the publication date, the specific historical moment remains unclear, but the work critiques the vulnerability of religious institutions to external forces.